Po' Folks Suits?

[The Ringneck]

Unfortunatley my family didn't have many photographs taken until the post war period, so I am at a loss to know what they would have worn for suits.

In the post war pictures, I'd say it's about 50/50 as to if they are wearing suits they bought with their Army money when they got home or the clothes they had before the war.

Anyhow they usually have on three or two piece suits with (typically) two button jackets. The ties they wear are short, decently wide, and often look to have elaborate designs.

From talking to relatives from that time that most remember wearing, or wanting colored shirts with the suits and that those shirts seemed to be something city people didn't do.

Would this be what people had before/during the war too? Anyone have any good pictures?

BradLaGrange

 

[Tomasso]

There are loads of threads on the Lounge with hundreds of photos of what you seek. I know that you'd rather have the mountain come to you but......

 

[The Ringneck]

Tomasso: I didn't see anything specifically for working class suits---work wear, street clothes, nice suits, but not what I was talking about---though I have to admit I got overwhelmed by the ammount of replies in the search, and then side-tracked numerous times. I did find lots of good bits and pieces mixed in however.

BradLaGrange

 

[Tomasso]

Brad, just take a breath, relax and then peruse. Seriously, this is the place but you really have to search the archives.

 

[The Ringneck]

Tomasso: Definatley found bits and pieces---reading about ties as we speak. Of course I also spent an hour looking at old shoulder holsters too, lol.

 

[Widebrim]

Unfortunatley my family didn't have many photographs taken until the post war period, so I am at a loss to know what they would have worn for suits.

In the post war pictures, I'd say it's about 50/50 as to if they are wearing suits they bought with their Army money when they got home or the clothes they had before the war.

Anyhow they usually have on three or two piece suits with (typically) two button jackets. The ties they wear are short, decently wide, and often look to have elaborate designs.

From talking to relatives from that time that most remember wearing, or wanting colored shirts with the suits and that those shirts seemed to be something city people didn't do.

Would this be what people had before/during the war too? Anyone have any good pictures?

BradLaGrange

I think it's interesting that your relatives recall that city folk didn't want colored shirts.

 

[The Ringneck]

@WB: They seem to be pretty aware of what seperated them from city people (which meant people with money)---some of it seems out of pride, some of it comes off as defensive. The other big thing was sideburns, usually worn to the bottom of the ear. Whats funny about that is in early "Beverly Hillbillies" they wear long side-burns (as part of their looking out of date by 60's standards) too so that must have been a known country style back years ago.

Other things I've picked out of photos (though not the ones worn with suits) are "western" belts. Many of them are wearing belts that have what I would call western accents added to them---You see this in the movie "Grapes of Wrath" and in period photos by Disfarmer (Google and there are some GREAT photos) so that must have been a trend too. Maybe because unlike pants or a shirt, which cost money and wore out, you could make your own custom belt.

I THINK the colored shirt deal comes from that blue-collar flashiness that leads to tackiness. They couldn't have really expensive clothes so they'd get brightly colored shirts to really emphasize they weren't wearing work clothes or plain white shirts. Same reason the women all latched on to HUGE hair-do's in the 60's and didn't let go of them for many, many, many years.

But even in teh 1990's in Perry County we were still doing stuff to differentiate us from outsiders----Most of us were into 70's style western shirts or wore out jeans, or even old souped up cars and trucks while the kids in the richer counties around us went in for Garth Brooks type looks and wanted big new trucks tehy were scared to get dirty. And we REALLY stood out out next to kids from Lousiville or Evansville.